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Arsenal v Fulham: Premier League – live | Premier League
Key events
64 min: Triple substitution for Fulham Tom Cairney, Josh King and Oscar Bobb replace Reed, Chukwueze and Wilson.
62 min Fulham’s passing has been better in the second half, helped no doubt by Arsenal sitting deeper and playing on the break.
60 min “Seeing this reminds me of something,” writes DAvid Howell. “Specifically, the Climate Clubs campaign a few years ago that reimagined various club badges to make a point about climate change (and raise money for relevant charities). One of those was the Fulham badge being changed to read FFS – something I’m sure fans of Manchester City would sympathise with right now.”
Arsenal’s next home game is against Burnley, which could be a test of Manchester City fans’ joie de vivre.
59 min Trossard slices a shot from the edge of the area that is easily saved by Leno.
56 min: Big chance for Gyokeres!
Viktor Gyokeres comes tantalisingly close to his first Arsenal hat-trick. He made a perfectly timed run onto a deft through pass from Trossard, but Leno was quickly off his line to narrow the angle and block Gyokeres’s shot. Good goalkeeping.
54 min It’s not easy for Arsenal to balance the Atletico Madrid game, which begins in 73 hours, and the need to score as many as possible. We’ll have a better idea after Monday night, when Manchester City go to Everton, but there’s every chance both teams will win all their remaining league games. If so, the title will be decided on goal difference.
51 min Eze controls Madueke’s pass on the stretch and is shaping to shoot when Bassey makes a vital challenge.
49 min Smith Rowe’s near-post corner is headed across goal by Castagne, with no Fulham player able to poke it into the net.
49 min Robinson’s cross is sliced over his own bar by Saliba. Fulham have started the second half pretty well.
48 min Jimeneze has a pop from 25 yards. It’s a good effort that fades a few yards wide of the goal with Raya at full stretch.
47 min I missed a half-time substitution for Arsenal: Noni Madueke has replaced Bukayo Saka, presumably to rest the main man ahead of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
46 min Arsenal get the second half under way.
‘Press release’ is the subject of Charles Antaki’s email.
(Reads from piece of paper): On behalf of a significant fraction of Arsenal fans, I am prepared to consider revising my opinion of Victor Gyökeres, subject to further developments.
Half-time reading
“Rob,” writes Sean Orlowicz, “you said fighting for a title was supposed to be miserable. “I’m having a blast!!!
“(I’ve been miserable since January.)”
Arf. That first half reminds me of the title-winning sides under Wenger, who had – for a Manchester United fan – a sickening habit of being 3-0 up after 20 minutes in April and May.
Half time: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham
Bukayo Saka’s return to the starting XI inspired a joyous first-half performance from Arsenal, who now have the chance to massage their goal difference in the second half. Saka made the first for Viktor Gyokeres, who returned the favour and then scored his second with a fine header.
Here’s the Premier League table as things stand.
Trossard led an Arsenal break with a surge through the inside-left channel. He beat his man in the area and stood up an inviting cross towards the far post. It was slightly behind Gyokeres, who showed his finishing expertise by straining his neck muscles to loop a header over Leno. He took that beautifully.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Fulham (Gyokeres 45+4)
Another terrific goal clinches victory for Arsenal, already.
45+2 min I think this is the first time Saka has scored and created a goal all season, since 2024 in fact. If so, he’s picked a very good time to signal a return to form. The Emirates is a totally different place to the Newcastle game a week ago.
45 min Three minutes of added time. Arsenal are hunting a third before the break, which would then allow them to concentrate on goal difference in the second half. It’s an awkward thing to manage but they should be mindful of it as it may well decide the title.
44 min A delicious cross from Saliba just evades the stretching Gabriel at the far post. This is Arsenal’s most relaxed attacking performance in ages, probably since they walloped Spurs 4-1 in February.
43 min The return of Bukayo Saka has made Arsenal smile again.
In his first start for six weeks, a rejuventated Bukayo Saka has made one and scored one. Eze swept a nice pass down the right for the ever-willing Gyokeres, who held the ball up until Saka made a sudden dart infield. Gyokeres played him in with a nice reverse pass, and Saka rifled a low drive past Leno at the near post. That’s a lovely goal.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Fulham (Saka 40)
Bukayo Saka’s back, baby!
40 min Trossard chops away from a defender on the edge of the area and sweeps a daisycutter that is comfortably saved by Leno.
38 min Sounds odd to say, but Fulham might be the happier team if it’s still 1-0 at half-time. Arsenal have been much the better team and will be keen to put the game to bed before we reach the jitterzone.
37 min Wilson’s corner is cleared by Saliba, but then White loses his balance and is robbed by Lukic. His defensive mates get him out of trouble by clearing Lukic’s cross.
36 min Fulham are having a decent little spell. Calafiori gives Raya problem with a short backpass in a crowded area; Raya’s clearance hits Gabriel and ricochets behind for a Fulham corner.
35 min “I’ve never understood the criticism of Gyokeres, I have to say,” have to says Joshua Keeling. “I think he’s a very good player. Not in the absolute top rank of strikers (Haaland et al), but very few are. He’s a good finisher and gives Arsenal something different.”
I can understand it – he is a relatively limited player – but like everything it has been way over the top.
32 min Chukwueze and then Robinson have long-range shots blocked.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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